Arsenal Transfer News: Latest Rumours on Gonzalo Higuain and Pedro

Stuart Newman

Jul 12, 2015

Arsenal are just a few players away from looking like genuine Premier League title candidates next season, as Arsene Wenger looks to plug the last remaining holes in his setup.

Petr Cech’s arrival from Chelsea means the Gunners have one of the safest pairs of hands in the business between their posts, but it’s at the other end of the pitch where another reinforcement could be on the way in.

Here’s a look at the latest rumours from the Emirates Stadium, as Wenger reportedly aims to add to his talented striking pool.

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Gonzalo Higuain

Salvatore Laporta/Associated Press

Arsenal have seemingly been linked with Gonzalo Higuain since the dawn of time, with endless rumours coming out of the mill during several transfer windows.

However, it appears that this time around, the Gunners may actually get their man. If they can meet Napoli’s astronomical asking price, that is.

Salvatore Laporta/Associated Press

According to Corriere dello Sport, via Metro, Arsenal had a bid of £43.3 million knocked back by Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis, but he’s since told the Gunners what they need to offer to land Higuain—via Will Giles of Metro:

“Sell Higuain for €90 million (£64.7 million)? I’d like to sell him. That way I can buy eight players for the club!”

De Laurentiis’ tongue-in-cheek comment is hardly cause for optimism for Arsenal fans, and to rub salt into the wounds, it seems Wenger won’t up his first bid—as Ian Abrahams revealed:

The Napoli president is right, though, because Arsenal can ill-afford to pay such a staggering amount of money for a player who is incredibly inconsistent—the money is better spent elsewhere.

Higuain bagged 28 goals in all competitions for the Italian outfit last term, per WhoScored.com, but he has a tendency to go missing in games.

Watching highlights of Higuain is thoroughly enjoyable; yet over the course of 90 minutes, he rarely lives up to his reputation.

Arsenal need a striker to simply get on the end of their flowing moves—a poacher who can be in the right place at the right time to find the back of the net.

Higuain, however, likes play to revolve around him, which wouldn’t be the case at the Emirates.

Former Premier League star Peter Lovenkrands thinks so, too, as he said that the Argentinian is a better fit for a club like Manchester United:

Wenger, then, needs to shop around, but he may be out of luck once again with Arsenal’s next rumoured target.

Pedro

Manu Fernandez/Associated Press

Barcelona star Pedro has been linked with the Camp Nou exit door all summer, and it seemed like Arsenal were edging close to getting him in the red shirt.

However, according to Spanish newspaper Sport, via Giles of Metro, the Spanish international has opted for a move to Stamford Bridge rather than the Emirates.

Giles writes that Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho and Pedro’s former teammate Cesc Fabregas persuaded the Barcelona man to choose west over north London.

Angel Fernandez/Associated Press

You’d think that’s due to the Blues' currently being the best team in England or having the chance to work under Mourinho, yet Giles writes that it’s the heavy Spanish contingent at Stamford Bridge that have tempted him to make the switch.

Pedro currently has a £21.6 million release clause in his contract, and it’s believed that Chelsea will make a formal bid in the coming weeks—just think: That money would only buy a third of Higuain!

Manu Fernandez/Associated Press

Still, Arsenal remain very much in the hunt for his signature; it just seems like a case of Wenger perfecting his powers of persuasion.

Chances have been few and far between for the 27-year-old at Barcelona, and that’s unlikely to improve with the talented pool of attacking stars at Stamford Bridge.

Arsenal could well give Pedro the regular football he needs, even if he has to learn some English for the privilege.